For More Information

Under the direction of Professor Raymond C. Love, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, the Mental Health Program (MHP) has partnered with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since 1983 to provide services to both the Maryland Mental Hygiene Administration and the Maryland Medicaid Pharmacy Program through a series of memoranda of agreement.

The primary goal of the Mental Health Program (MHP) is to improve medication use and safety for patients who are served by Mental Hygiene Administration facilities or Maryland Medicaid. MHP coordinates the Mental Hygiene Administration Statewide Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and participates in the planning of mental health pharmacy services and systems at various levels of state government. This planning has resulted in the introduction of a number of innovations including clinical pharmacy services, robotics, participation in group purchasing programs, therapeutic and generic substitution, dose optimization, statewide data tracking, coordinated on-call services, central formulary management, drug use analysis and prior authorization. These initiatives not only result in benefit for patients, but yield millions of dollars in annual savings for the state of Maryland.

Our Services:

The nearly 50 faculty and staff members from the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science (PPS) located at five adult residential facilities and at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center coordinate and provide comprehensive pharmacy services, including clinical, consultative, administrative, dispensing, and performance improvement services. MHP pharmacists, including associate professors Bethany DiPaula, PharmD, BCPP, Jason Noel, PharmD, BCPP, and other board certified specialist pharmacists are valuable members of multidisciplinary teams responsible for the management of patients' mental health and disease.

Education Programs:

MHP trains pharmacy students and prepares post-doctoral pharmacy residents. Established in 1987, the program's ASHP accredited Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice Residency was the School of Pharmacy's first residency program.

Community Outreach:

Through partnerships with People's Community Health Centers, Inc., and the Howard County Health Department, MHP extends its reach into the community. Dr. DiPaula provides adherence counseling, medication management, and service coordination for patients seeking mental health treatment and addiction assistance. MHP also collaborates with the state, the University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center to conduct research to optimize psychiatric pharmacotherapy.